Shopping

Feeling a bit depresso about espresso and want to reinvigorate your cafe or coffee experience? Perhaps you’re brewing over going into the barista business yourself? So many decisions to make over a coffee break but hopefully we can help you decide and take whatever beans necessary to create a truly unique coffee experience. Whatever. Beans. Necessary.

Presentation is everything

Before we’ve even ordered our cappuccino, we’ve made a deliberate decision to enter a premise based on the vibe, perceived popularity and dare I say it, decor! Coffee decorum comes before milk, sugar, decaf, soy, low fat and extra hot orders. This may seem like a latte fuss about nothing, but it’s something! Potential customers have scoped out the patrons, wait staff, baristas, location on the street and believe it or not, the types of chairs and tables used. Even the cafe supplies itself are inspected in the blink of an eye, including what the take away cups and packaging looks like. Why – cos we like going to where coffee is served and presented with pride! From the storefront to the cups, everything has to be appealing.

If your coffee experience has become stale (we’ve all bean there), you need to stir the pot and look at breathing new life into how your cafe presents itself, or if a customer, go where you instantly like the ambience. Having a mocha choca latte is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, not a daily grind!

Be environmentally conscious

There’s a lot of perks to providing customers with eco friendly containers and cutlery such as oxo-biodegradable straws, 100% renewable bags, wooden cutlery and 100% compostable storage containers and cups. Not only does it look stylish – but we as patrons think you care about the environment. Basically, if we think you’re helping the environment, we automatically conclude indirectly we are too by getting our coffee fix from you. Serving customers with thoughtful packaging also saves you from being on the receiving end of a roast! And not the Brazilian kind.

Service with a smile

People go back to places they feel welcome in, thus becoming brand loyals. This is especially true for cafés which have always been spaces to meet and interact. Cafes and their staff should embrace their regulars and be able to have when possible, relaxed conversations making guests feel welcome.

We know it’s difficult to engage in conversation with customers during peak hour, especially while carrying three plates or trying to get through a backlog of orders with a long line of customers rolling out the door, however, making the effort to remember someone’s daily order, or asking them how work is, has a major impact on the number of regulars acquired and retained.

There should always be time though for one important question. The answer can make your day or destroy it. That question is, “How was your coffee?” Asking this simple question shows a commitment to quality and to hospitality as with demonstrating you care about your business, brand and your customer.

And finally, don’t forget about reviews

Getting one to spill the beans in terms of top notch reviews has the power to create a caffeine hit around your cafe and drive customers in the door. It can also provide you with some honest appraisal. In order to get a credible review, get in touch with reviewers, bloggers and critics whose opinions you respect and trust.